Chapter 26: Carle's Provocation
I changed into the uniform of the Olgus Academy that I had prepared at home and walked out of the inn.
On the streets of Heikem, there were already many people dressed the same as me rushing in the same direction. Clearly, there were quite a number of new students who had arrived in this city early.
Olgus Academy was on the east side of the city. When I arrived at the academy, many freshmen were already waiting at the entrance to confirm their identities and enter the campus.
"Do you know what's going on? Why did school suddenly start early? I rushed for two days before I finally made it. I'm not even prepared."
"It's the same for me. I rushed over from the border. I don't know why the academy made this decision."
"According to my father, the three academies decided to start school early at the same time because according to the forecasts, winter will come early this year. Heikem might be covered in snow before December."
"Does the snow have anything to do with starting school early?"
"I don't know about that. Maybe it's so that students from the south can go home…"
Among the freshmen,
many waiting students had already begun to discuss the reason for the early start of school.
A loud voice came from the crowd, attracting the attention of many people.
"What weather reasons? My father is a businessman. A few days ago, he came back from the capital and told me that the envoy of the Kandir Empire entered the capital half a month ago. I'm guessing the academies' reasons for starting school early this time is most likely related to the envoy of the Kandir Empire."
"Kandir Empire? Is that the largest empire beside us?"
"Other than it, is there a second Kandir Empire on this continent? If what he said is true, there might be a political reason behind the early start of school this time."
"Politics, is this something we can consider now…"
"We better forget it. It's still too early for us to talk about politics. Let's enroll in peace."
The discussions in the crowd gradually stopped.
However, the information that the freshman shared made me firm up my original immature thoughts. The academy suddenly changed its system that had been in place so many years. It's most likely related to the neighboring countries. Could it be…"
"Freshman, please show your admission certificate."
The instructions at the school gate interrupted my thoughts. I took out the admission certificate that my grandfather had personally sent over and handed it over.
The two teachers at the door swept their rings across the certificate.
"Will Reinhardt, welcome to Olgus Academy."
"Thank you."
After successfully entering the campus, under the guidance of the teachers, we were arranged to take a seat in a vast venue.
Looking at the school building in the distance and the students coming and going in a hurry, I couldn't help but feel emotional. After all, this was a place I had never set foot in in my previous life or this life. I could finally live a life that only ordinary people could have.
Two hours later, a magnetic female voice sounded from the Sound Amplification Stones around the venue.
"Freshmen, the Dean of Olgus Academy will now read out the opening speech."
The noisy venue immediately fell silent. All the students' gazes were focused on the podium at the front.
An old man with gray hair walked up with a determined step. It was my maternal grandfather, Dalip Laurence.
"Freshmen, welcome to Olgus Academy. As your Dean, I am very honored.
"Most of you will spend the next six years in this academy. I will guarantee that, regardless of whether our freshmen here come from rich or poor families, are of ordinary or noble birth, myself and the teachers of the academy treat everyone equally in these six years. You will receive the same education.
"At the same time, I wish everyone success in passing the magic assessment and a happy and blissful student life. Thank you, everyone."
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
I followed the crowd and applauded as well. I had to say that my grandfather's voice was very infectious. Even though it came out through the loudspeaker, no one felt anything unusual.
As Grandfather walked down the podium, another voice message came from the Sound Amplification Stone.
"Next, all students, please collect the assessment topic according to your magic attributes. In the next 15 days, you need to learn the magic in your room. The official assessment will begin on the 16th day."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Six teachers of the academy each carried a stack of books and walked to the podium.
Then, six elemental words of the corresponding colors of ice, fire, water, wind, lightning, and light lit up above the heads of the six teachers. They were conspicuous enough for everyone to see at a glance.
This was the unified assessment system of the three academies. It was a standardized test that took into account the different family backgrounds and living conditions of the new students who came to the academy.
For noble children, they could test their magic attributes at home and hire corresponding teachers to educate their children in advance.
For commoners, some could only go to the nearest church to test their magic attributes, but they could not afford to hire teachers to learn magic.
At this time, one could apply to the church for a certificate of qualification to enroll in the kingdom's academies. The church would determine the strength of the child's magic based on the brightness and color of the test crystal and send a message to the nearest academy in the kingdom.
The academy would then arrange for teachers to go there and personally distribute the admission certificates and travel expenses to the academy.
All freshmen with the same attributes would learn the same magic under the same conditions. After half a month, the results of their studies would be tested. Once they passed, they could officially enroll in the academy to study. This was already a fair enough method for everyone.
I followed the crowd to the line in front of the teacher with a glowing white fluorescent.
With the other teams lined up in a long line, there were only a dozen people in front of me. After glancing behind me, there also seemed to be less than ten people.
It seemed that light-attribute magic was indeed rare.
Just as I was looking around, I accidentally spotted a familiar face.
Carle.
He actually also had light-attribute magic.
Similarly, he, who was thinking of looking back at the number of people, also saw me.
After a moment of surprise, he gave me a provocative look and raised his fist and thumb to gesture downwards.
In the kingdom.
This was a gesture to initiate a spar. If one responds with a thumbs up, you would be admitting defeat, and the opposite would be accepting the challenge.
As expected, I smiled and held out my fist, thumb down.
It seemed that he was very confident in his own strength. However, when it came to sparring, I would not be afraid of anyone. I also wanted to test the strength of my peers in the kingdom.
Soon, it was my turn. I took a stack of books from the teacher.
Basic Holy Light Magic—Divine Light.
It seemed
that this is the magic we're going to learn this time.
I casually flipped through and saw that it was filled with detailed learning guides for this magic trick.
At that moment, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"We meet again, Will."
A familiar voice sounded in my ears.